


Ladynoir July 2020

by Domsmelality



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Ladynoir July 2020, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:21:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 13,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25216171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Domsmelality/pseuds/Domsmelality
Summary: Kinda-related Ladynoir fluff based on prompts?I'll take 31, s'il vous plaît...
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 10
Kudos: 39





	1. The Wall Between Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, I'm late...

"Do you remember a while ago? When I asked you to come to that roof around the time Glaciator was akumatised?" Chat Noir asked.

"Yes, and I already told you, I'm really sorry for not being able to come, kitty..." Ladybug said, turning her body slightly on the roof so she could look at his properly.

"I- I know... but... how about we do something similar to that tonight? You said you really liked it, and-"

"Chat Noir, you know what I'm going to say."

Chat Noir's shoulders dropped and his cat ears drooped slightly.

"That we- we can't be in a relationship with each other." Chat Noir muttered

"I'm sorry, kitty. But, that doesn't mean we can't do something as friends."

Chat Noir looked back up at her and leaned in close, a grin spreading across his face just as face as the hope had flooded through him.

"So... we could meet on a romantically lit rooftop as _friends_?"

Ladybug raised an eyebrow, meeting his grin with her own.

"I don't know. Does anything on this rooftop in your mind scream ' _hey look everybody, Chat Noir and Ladybug are on a date!_ '?"

"Well... yes... most of it does..."

"I knew it!" Ladybug laughed, rolling her eyes as Chat Noir slid onto his back, groaning over dramatically.

"But please, Ladybug? Pretty please? I'll even put a cherry on it for you!" Chat Noir protested, waving his arms about desperately.

"Nope, no-can-do. Unless I arrange it, and my rooftop meeting will scream ' _hey look everybody, Chat Noir and Ladybug are just friends!_ '."

"But Ladybug..."

"Come on, kitty, I'll even put a cherry on it for you!" Ladybug grinned, putting on her best pleading face as she leaned in close to him.

"Put a cherry on what?" Chat Noir asked.

"It doesn't matter what I put the cherry on. I can turn you into one any day..." Ladybug murmured, her voice just loud enough to be heard.

"What do you mean you can turn me into a cherry?"

"You don't know?"

"Know... what?" Chat Noir paused, and his voice dropped to a more vulnerable tone. "You- you're not leaving me out of something again, are you?"

"No, I wouldn't do that. I know how much that hurt you last time. But, the cherry thing is something I assumed you would be aware of, since, you know, you're the one who turns into a cherry."

"I don't get it, Ladybug. When did I ever turn into a cherry?"

Ladybug giggles slightly and stood up, taking the yoyo off of her waist. "I'll show you sometime soon. And I'll make sure someone's filming it so that you can see for yourself."

"Wait, no! Don't go!" Chat Noir stood up and grabbed her hand. "And you didn't answer my question about the dat- friendly meeting..."

"Maybe sometime in the future. But it won't be a date-"

"But we can happen! You keep saying we can't... but... we're already frien-"

"We just- we can't happen. Not while Hawkmoth is still out there." Ladybug said, squeezing his hand. "We'll just have to be patient, and wait until this wall between us crumbles away."

Chat Noir paused for a moment, then threw his arms around her.

"So, you're saying I have a chance?"

"You always had a chance, but the risk is to great right now. One day, kitty."


	2. Stargazing

The stars were rarely visible from Paris, but when they were, it was a sight to behold.

Chat Noir was looking at stars right now.

They were beautiful.

Sparkling brightly, each one looked brighter than the one next to it.

They held hope and joy and pride and happiness.

And...

They also held sadness and insecurity and fear and uneasiness.

They told him a million things.

And...

They told him nothing.

Every single shimmer among those stars felt like a gentle caress to his heart.

Which, of course, they held.

And...

They had held his heart since, pretty much, the first day he had met those stars.

Everyday he saw them his world lit up with what felt like pure euphoria, held among the colours of blue and black and red.

"Chat Noir?"

"Oh, uh, yeah?"

"You're staring again..."

"Oh, sorry..."

She smiled softly at him when he had turned back up to the sky.

"Don't be sorry, kitty. It's adorable."

She looked back up to the stars, still smiling when she watched him turn into a cherry beside her. He looked into her eyes.

"Look at the stars, kitty, not me."

"I am looking at the stars..."


	3. In Denial

"I saw you coming, you know. You can't scare me that easily." Ladybug said, turning her head just as Chat Noir was about to pounce.

"What? No you didn't-"

"I did."

"You did not! My suit is black and the night... is also black. That's like camouflage! There is no way you saw me coming." Chat Noir said firmly.

"Then how did I know you were here?" Ladybug asked, standing up.

"Because... because we had arranged to meet here!"

Ladybug sighed. "Well, you have me there. But I could still hear you land on the roof."

"That's because I slipped a bit when I landed."

"You slipped? Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?" Ladybug asked, looking Chat Noir up and down, as if she would find a mangled limb or something.

"Ah, My Lady worries for me!" Chat Noir said, bringing the back of his hand to his forehead.

"Chat, I'm serious!"

"I'm fine! When I said I slipped, I meant like this much," Chat Noir said, holding up his hand and pressing his finger and thumb close together.

"So you're not hurt, at all?"

"Not one bit."

"Good. I don't want my favourite kitty to get hurt." Ladybug said, pulling his down to sit beside her.

"Are you implying that you have other kitties? I'm offended, M'lady, I thought I was your only one!" Chat Noir gasped, framing his shocked face with his hands.

"You are, kitty, you're the only one, and I couldn't be happier to have you." Ladybug smiled at him, seeing his cheeks redden before he looked away.

"I couldn't be happier to have you, either, Ladybug." His voice was soft, and Ladybug could tell that there were layers of deep emotions buried within the words.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both feeling warm and fuzzy despite the coolness of the air. Ladybug heard a small rumble sound from Chat. She turned slowly, careful not to startle him, and started grinning.

He was purring again.

Oh boy, she had been waiting a long time for this.

She subtly took her yoyo off of her waist and pressed 'record'. Several minutes passed before Chat Noir noticed what she was doing.

"Are you filming... the night?" He asked, unaware that he had been purring.

"The night? No. Maybe playing it would help your memory." Ladybug said, pressing play.

Her grin spread even wider across her face as she saw Chat Noir's redden further.

"Is that-"

"It is."

"No..." Chat Noir whispered.

"Yes..." Ladybug whispered back.

"I don't purr though!"

"Then what's this?"

"That's... an oven. Yeah, that's an oven."

Ladybug snorted.

"You do know what ovens sound like, right?"

"Yeah, they sound like that pur- like that sound. Because it's an oven. So, it sounds like an oven."

Ladybug laughed, then sobered when Chat didn't.

"If that's what your oven sounds like at home... I think you may need to call over someone to check it out. It might be broken."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to do that." Chat Noir replied.

Ladybug rolled her eyes. She reached up and scratched behind his cat ears, seeing him tense up as he tried desperately not to purr. "Don't worry, kitty, I'll find a video of you purring soon."

"You won't, because I don't purr." Chat said, crossing his arms and turning his head the other way, his shoulders drooping slightly as Ladybug stopped petting him.

"Aww, you don't need to be embarrassed-"

"I do, because I have all of these animal traits and stuff and you just get a bit cold! That's not fair!" Chat Noir lay down on the roof and threw his hands in the air.

"But- wait, did you say you have other animal traits too?" Ladybug asked.

"No..."

"You do..."

"I don't!"

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. "We'll be getting back to you and your other animal traits soon, kitty. But who said that I just get cold? Who said I didn't have other animal traits too?"

"Do you?" Chat Noir sat up again, trying to guess what it may be. "Do you... spit acid? Can you fly? Do you have fur, like bees? Can you buzz? Do yo-"

"Nope, none of those. And no, Chat, I'm not just going to tell you. You're going to have to work it out, just like how I worked out that you can purr. Or, maybe I don't have any other traits, and I'm just teasing you." Ladybug shrugged. "Who knows?"

"You have. I'm sure you have, or it wouldn't be fair. Um... you would probably be embarrassed by it... so... when was the last time you were embarrassed? Or maybe, you were annoyed? When was the last time you were annoyed?" Chat Noir went through all the memories he had when she was frustrated or embarrassed, wincing slightly when he remembered those times she had turned him down when he had offered her roses.

Insects eat roses...

So maybe...

"That's it! I've got it!" Chat Noir cried, leaping up.

"Have you now?"

Chat Noir couldn't help but notice that she looked a bit nervous. He crouched down and hugged her, reassuring her that he wouldn't judge her.

Maybe that was also why she didn't like to keep the flowers he gave her. The ones he gave to her as a _friend_ , or course.

Chat Noir pulled away, an idea forming in his mind.

"You do like roses, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. Why?"

"I'm going to make you the best rose ever, and you're not going to tempted to eat it, because it's not going to be a real flower!" Chat Noir crouched down and hugged her again before taking his baton off his back. "In a few days, you'll be getting the best present ever! You know, hopefully! Wait, no, just ignore what I just said. It's a surprise. Goodnight, M'lady!"

He extended his baton and leapt away, leaving Ladybug to process what he'd said.

_'You're not going to be tempted to eat it'_

Did he think that one of her animal traits was eating plants?

Well, it was a good guess.

Ladybug looked in the direction Chat Noir had gone in, and _totally_ didn't already miss him. She took her yoyo off her waist and leapt away, _totally_ not looking forward to the next time he would show his affection to her.

Because, of course, Ladybug _totally_ didn't have feeling for Chat Noir.

Not that she knew of, at least.


	4. Disguises

"So, you're a... civilian? Just an random civilian?" Ladybug asked to the person who was very obviously Chat Noir.

"Yep, just out for a walk, you know, Ladybug." He said, pulling his hat further down his face, clearly convinced that Ladybug didn't know it was him.

"Does your walk also involve randomly cat-ting with people?"

"No, but I can make exceptions... like for the hero of Paris!" Chat Noir said, somehow refraining from placing a kiss on her hand.

"And, what about my partner? He's the hero of Paris too."

"I think your charming partner is a bit busy right now..." Chat Noir said.

"Maybe, but I would like to have a chat with him about something... let me call him." Ladybug took her yoyo off her waist and called Chat Noir, smirking when she saw him tense up.

She watched him slip his hand into his long coat and decline the call, keeping his head down.

"Well, it looks like we're going to have to look for the stray, then."

"Wait, uh... I'm sorry, what?"

"You can't help me look for my little kitty?" Ladybug pouted at Chat Noir.

"Oh, no, no, I'm very sorry... I saw him over there, though!" Chat Noir's arm jerked out as he pointed to the other side of the park.

"Thank you, let's go and look." Ladybug grabbed his wrist and pulled him along.

"Uh, Ladybug, I've gotta go..."

"Go where?" Ladybug looked around, then back to Chat Noir.

"To the, uh..." Chat Noir looked around frantically. "Oh no! An akuma! I had better get to safety!"

He ran away behind a bush and took off the coat, completely forgetting about the hat, then jumped out, seeing Ladybug's back turned to him. He walked up to her and rested his arm on her shoulder.

"So, what are we looking at, M'lady?"

"I'm looking for a little kitty, but I don't know where he's gone." Ladybug said.

"I think he's right here, Bugaboo," Chat Noir said, leaping in front of her with his arms spread wide.

"No, not you... I'm looking for my _favourite_ kitty. I have never met you in my life." Ladybug said, eyeing the hat on his head.

"No! I'm your favourite kitty! You said so the other day!" Chat Noir cried, throwing himself onto her, his head resting on her shoulder and he whined.

"Uh, no... I don't think so..." Ladybug said, leaning back slightly to support his weight. "My favourite kitty doesn't wear a hat."

"Hat? What ha- oops..." Chat Noir leaned back and took the hat off, then met Ladybug's smirk.

"Ah, there he is!" Ladybug said, reaching up to ruffle his hair, which had been pressed to his head because of the hat.

"Did you know it was me?" Chat Noir asked, putting the hat on Ladybug's head.

"Yeah, I did. You need to control that grin of yours, and you called yourself charming, too."

"Oh..."

"But I don't think anyone else would have known." Ladybug said, thinking.

"Because you know me so well?"

Ladybug hummed in response.

"I know you well too, M'lady."

"I know, kitty."


	5. Banter

"Do you remember that day you poked someone on the nose because you thought that they were me?" Chat Noir asked, leaning back on his hands.

"I thought we promised not to bring that up again!" Ladybug cried.

"We... did?" Chat Noir frowned. "Oh, right! Sorry, Bugaboo, I forgot-"

"Yeah, you did, and I'm going to get you back for that..." Ladybug muttered, facing the other direction so that he didn't see her smile. "Anyway, it was dark that day, not everyone can see in the dark, you know."

"But still, you wanted to boop me on the nose, and there's no way you can deny it," Chat said smugly, swinging his legs off the tower.

"I can't deny it, but I can still stop you from ever mentioning it again."

"Oh really? How?"

"I recall you asking me not to tell anyone about your purring..."

"You wouldn't!"

"Hey, it's not my fault you weren't being a good kitty." Ladybug said, turning back to him and grinning. "Aww, no need to be nervous, kitty!"

"Yeah, it's not like you're planning on sharing my super embarrassing secret with the world..."

"With the world? Ooo, that's an interesting idea... I was planning on just telling Hawkmoth or the Ladyblogger or something, but now that you mention it, telling the world would be a bit more fun, wouldn't it?"

"No, that would not be fun. What did I do to deserve this?" he muttered, turning so he could lean on his hands again.

"You brought up something that we promised not to bring up again."

"But I just brought it up between us two, no harm done! And you're planning on telling the world that I purr!"

"Ah, so you finally admit that you purr."

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes to slits.

"No, I just... I don't purr. That's it!"

"Oh really? In that case, what would happen if I did this?" Ladybug asked, bringing her hand to his cat ears and scratching behind them like she had a few nights ago.

"Nope! No! Not gonna happen!" Chat Noir burst, standing up.

"Then how am I supposed to get proof that you can purr?" Ladybug asked, getting up too.

"So... you need proof to convince people that I purr? Well, ha! Because you're not going to get any!" Chat Noir said, childishly sticking his tongue out.

"Is that what you think, kitty?"

"It's not what I think, it's what I know. I know you will not be getting any proof because... just because."

"You seem to be forgetting that I have the magic touch... I know how to make you purr..."

"Nu-uh. Not happening." Chat Noir said as he took a step back.

Very slowly, Ladybug took her yoyo off her waist and Chat Noir took his baton off his back. In an attempt to escape, Chat Noir vaulted away on his baton, leaving Ladybug to throw her yoyo in his direction.

He had clearly been expecting this, as he spun midair and hit the yoyo away with the baton. It bounced towards her and she caught it, shaking her head as she watched him escape.

He wouldn't be so lucky next time, Ladybug was sure of it.


	6. Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed this a tiny bit...

Ladybug landed on the roof Chat Noir had asked her to come to, putting her yoyo around her waist. She was sure he had done something for her, but looking around at the empty roof, she was starting to doubt that.

"Ladybug! You came!" Chat Noir called from behind her, surprise and joy hidden in his words.

She turned, seeing him hide something suspiciously behind his back. She hoped it wouldn't be a flower or something, she hated having to turn him down over and over again, but her heart belonged to Adrien, right?

He stepped closer, and Ladybug could see the hidden nervousness in his stride.

"I- I made something for you," He said, thrusting out his hands to reveal a rose. "A-as a friend, of course..."

Ladybug reached forward and took it from his slightly shaking hands. She frowned, realising that it wasn't a _real_ rose.

"You don't like it, do you? That- it's fine, I can take it bac-"

"No, I really, really like it... but, what _is_ it? Is it made of paper?" She asked, delicately brushing her finger against on of the petals..

"Yeah, it's made of paper." He said. "D-do you- do you like it? I made it with you in mind- well, of course I made it with you in mind- I made it _for_ you-"

"Kitty, I love it," she whispered, embracing him tightly, putting an end to his rambling.

"Thank you," he whispered back, nuzzling his head into her shoulder.

"Hey, _I'm_ the one who should be saying thanks, so, thank you, kitty. This means... this means _so_ much to me," she said, smiling at him as they pulled away.

"It was nothing, M'lady."

"Oh, this is _way_ more than nothing. How long did it take you to make?"

"Uh, do you remember a week ago when we were on the Eiffel Tower? I started making it that night."

"I though you were just joking! And you were making this... for me..." Ladybug said, fuzzy emotions filling her to the brim. "Let me do something for you, kitty."

"You don't need to, M'lady, I made the rose because I love yo- because I wanted to," he said.

Ladybug looked at their feet when she heard him about to say 'I love you', before he quickly changed it.

"And I want to do something for you." Ladybug said firmly, looking back up at his piercing green eyes.

"Will it be as a- as a friend?" Chat Noir asked, knowing what her answer would be.

Ladybug sucked in a deep breath, taking his hand.

"I- yes... it probably will be..."

She smiled slightly as his eyes widened.

"But please don't get your hopes up, I really don't want to disappoint you-" Ladybug said, stopping abruptly when he swept her up in a hug.

"You could never disappoint me. You're my everything, and one day, I- I hope to be your's too..." He said, his voice soft and quiet. "Sorry, I know... Hawkmoth... and stuff..."

She stepped back, spinning the rose in her fingers.

"It's okay, Chaton..." She paused, taking her yoyo off her waist. "But one day, he won't be able to get between us again... just until that day comes..."

"I know, we're just friends..."

Ladybug nodded, putting the paper rose in her hair before winking at Chat, seeing fire blossom through his cheeks.

"Until next time, M'lady," he said after a few moments after he had regained his composure.

He bowed and took his baton off his back, and vaulted away, as Ladybug zipped away on her yoyo in a similar direction.

Yes, she had thought her heart had belonged to Adrien, but now, she wasn't so sure.

She swung through the streets, the rose keeping some of her hair of of her eyes, as if it were making things that little bit clearer for her.


	7. Interviews

Chat Noir looked to the studio door, waiting for Ladybug to show up. She had told him she would be there soon, and he couldn't wait for her to arrive. He looked back to Nadja, who was glancing suspiciously behind the sofa he was sitting on, a faint smile playing on her features.

She spotted him watching and smiled, before speaking the the producers.

"Shall we start now?" Nadja asked.

She heard her reply and nodded to Chat, who was about to protest.

"No, we can't! We've got to wait for Ladybug!"

"It's okay, she's probably close by now, and will be able to come in when she arrives," Nadja replied, pursing her lips to suppress a smile.

Chat Noir nodded after several moments of hesitation. Nadja nodded back to him.

"Hello, viewers, and welcome back to Face to Face, featuring Ladybug and Chat Noir! We currently have Chat Noir with us, with Ladybug on the way! We will be taking questions from viewers who call in, and- ah, we have our first caller!" Nadja said, directing Chat Noir's attention to the screen behind him.

...

Ladybug slid out silently from beneath the sofa Chat was sitting on, and crouched behind the back of the seat. She glanced at Nadja and nodded to her, staying out of Chat's line of sight.

Nadja asked if they should start, and Ladybug smiled as Chat protested that they should wait for her.

Nadja assured him that it was okay and she started with her introduction, saying that Ladybug will arrive soon. Now, the viewers and Chat thought Ladybug was on her way, while Nadja and the producers were aware of what Ladybug was going to do.

Ladybug waited until Nadja had diverted his attention to the screen, and then she moved. She nodded to Nadja again.

"Oh, Ladybug has arrived!" Nadja said, looking to the studio doors.

Chat Noir turned his head excitedly towards the studio doors, then became confused as they remained closed.

Ladybug crept over to the other side of him, so when he turned back to the screen, she was right in front of him. He yelped, physically jumping into the air before landing on the sofa again.

Ladybug burst into laughter, as several members of the studio. Chat Noir snickered a few moments later, once he had gotten over the initial fright. He slid to the other side of the seat, allowing Ladybug to sit beside him.

Their grins remained on their faces, even after they were leaving the interview.

"So... was that just a set up so that you could scare me?" Chat Noir asked once the cold night air had hit them.

"Partially, yes," Ladybug said, smirking.

"Was this that thing you said you were going to do for me?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Ladybug looked at him, playfully shaking her head. "No, but I had been planning that since we agreed. You really should have seen your face, kitty, you were so scared!"

"Just you wait, M'lady, you'll get so scared when I get you back!"

"Oh please, Chaton, I would easily be able to hear you coming." Ladybug said, rolling her eyes.

"If that'll get you to keep your guard down, then sure, you'll be able to hear me coming." Chat Noir said as he took his baton, about to leave.

"One more thing, you're allergic to feather, are you allergic to anything else?" Ladybug asked, starting to swing her yoyo.

"Nope, just feather... why?"

Ladybug leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

"It's a _surprise_."

She swung away before she could capture his love stuck reaction.


	8. Kwami Swap

"Byebye, little butterfly," Mister Bug said, opening his yoyo to allow the white butterfly to fly out.

He looked to Lady Noire, and she threw him the lucky charm he had gotten earlier. He threw it into the air, saying 'Miraculous Mister Bug', then saw the ladybugs swarm out to repair the damage.

"You did good, Bugaboy," Lady Noire said, walking up to him and putting her arm on his shoulder, as he so often did to her.

"You did good too, M'lady," he said. "And, as usual, I couldn't have done it without you."

"And you'll always have me," Lady Noire replied, reaching up to scratch behind his cat ears, when she realised that he didn't have any.

"You'll always have me, too. Anyway, I'm not the cat today, _you_ are, and that means that you're the one with the cat-themed animal tendencies, doesn't it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow smugly.

Lady Noire felt her cheeks redden ever so slightly. "As if you could get me to pur- ah!"

Mister Bug had brought his hand up to her hair, scratching behind the cat ears, careful not to ruin her hair. He continued to do so for several more moments, hearing the earrings beep, telling him he had three minutes left.

He still continued to scratch, savouring the blush that was now covering Lady Noire's face. He grinned when he heard that rumble from her chest, and she wriggled out of his grip.

"Hey, that's not fair! You do that to me _all_ the time, why can't I do it to you?"

"Because we're running out of time, I've only got two minutes left, and," Lady Noire paused, brushing some of his hair away from the earrings so she could see how much time he had left. "And you've only got two minutes left, too!"

Mister Bug looked to their feet.

"Could we do this again, then? Like, swapping miraculouses?"

Lady Noire nodded to him. "Yeah... we could definitely go for the extra practice with the other miraculouses."

"Especially me. You would be awesome with any miraculous..." Mister Bug muttered, not looking at her.

"What do you mean?" Lady Noire asked.

"You literally mastered the Cat miraculous after, what? Two attempts? And I'm nowhere near the level you were when you first got the Ladybug miraculous." Mister Bug said.

"Do you mean the time where I fell out of the sky and knocked you off your baton?" Lady Noire shot back.

"I hit myself in the face with the yoyo..."

"Yeah, we both made mistakes on our first attempts with the Ladybug miraculous. We're _equal_ , kit- Bugaboy."

Mister Bug met her confident gaze, and felt himself rise with confidence too.

"You're not better than me, and I'm _definitely_ not better than you. On either miraculous. Got it?" Lady Noire asked.

Mister Bug nodded, his heart fluttering as she brought him into a hug.

"Don't doubt yourself, or your super hero-ing skills."

He nodded once again.

Lady Noire stepped back as her ring and Mister Bug's earrings beeped. They ran along the rooftops and hid, a chimney separating them.

They detransformed and swapped miraculouses, then transformed again.

"See you, kitty," Ladybug said, waving to him.

Chat Noir was about to say he wasn't a kitty, and was a bug, then remembered that they had swapped miraculouses again, so he was indeed a kitty.

"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Ladybug asked.

He shook his head. "Nope, goodbye, and thanks, Ladybug."

He brought her into a hug, as she had allowed him to do a lot more recently, and then they waved and went their separate ways.

Both hearts were yearning for something more that they already had, but only one of them knew it.


	9. Fist Bump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yup, I know it's basically midnight.
> 
> Yep, I know that I have been watching the fox in my garden far too eagerly.
> 
> And yeah, I know that this isn't really the place for me to say this.

_Ladybug looked up as she threw her lucky charm in the air, calling out 'Miraculous Ladybug!' as she did so. The ladybugs flew around in a red swarm that reminded her of the roses Chat Noir gave he-_

_That reminded her of her suit. That's all._

_The ladybugs removed the horn that had been on Lila's forehead and fixed the rest of the damage. Ladybug looked to Chat Noir, who was picking up a flattened rose, which had been the akumatised object. He crouched down and handed it to Kagami, who was rubbing her head, confused._

_Ladybug felt jealousy flood through her, increasing in its power as Chat Noir said-_

_"Kagami."_

_-with a soft voice that he only ever had used when speaking to Ladybug._

_Ladybug ran over to him quickly when he helped Kagami up, holding out her fist for their usual-_

_"Pound it!"_

_But, Chat Noir didn't do their usual fist bump._

_"I'll take her back home," he said, picking Kagami up. He turned his head to Lila. "Keep an eye on Lila, she's as sly as a fox."_

_He leapt away, and Ladybug decided to focus her attention on Lila rather than thinking about the slight jealousy within her._

"Ladybug?"

"Oh, uh, what?"

"Nothing, you've just been spaced out for... I don't know, a while, now..."

"Sorry, kitty, I know how much our time like this means to you," she said teasingly.

"It does! Like, when it's just you and me, alone together..." he murmured, resting his head on her's slightly, his eyes closed. "No civilians... no akumas... no amoks... just... us..."

"Yeah, it is quite nice..." Ladybug said, but she couldn't seem to shake the annoyance she felt about not having a fist bump after defeating Oni-Chan. "Hey, how about a fist bump?"

"Why?"

"Well, a while ago, we didn't have our usual pound it, so how about we do it now?" Ladybug asked, feeling him stiffen and move his head off of her.

"When? We always do, don't we?" He said, frowning as he tried to remember.

"There was this one time, when we faced Oni-Chan, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" He said. "Wait, were you upset? I- I'm sorry- I just-"

"No, no, don't be sorry. You just were in a rush to take Kagami home before you transformed back, that's all..."

"So, you're not upset?"

Ladybug shook her head.

"But, purrhaps, you were jealous?" He asked, wiggling his eyebrows a little.

"You wish, kitty!" Ladybug said, the grin on her face strained slightly.

"I know a fake grin when I see one, Bugaboo."

"Do you now?"

"I am an expert on those." Chat hummed, quickly changing the subject when he saw her expression. "A-anyway-"

"No, you're not going to change the subject after dropping something like that, Chat Noir. What do you mean, you're an expert on fak-"

"I meant- I meant that I'm an actor, you know!" Chat Noir burst. "Back to the fist bump... pound it?"

He held his fist out, his cat ears pressing to his head when she looked at him for several long moments. He swallowed and was about to lower his fist when she connected her fist.

"Pound it, kitty." She said.

They sat comfortably against each other until Ladybug spoke again.

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?" she said, watching him lower his gaze. "Like, just because we have to protect our identities, it doesn't mean we can't talk about how we feel."

"Of course I know, M'lady!" Chat Noir said, but both could tell that the enthusiasm was forced.

"I don't want you to bottle up your emotions or something because of what I said about our identities... you mean... a lot to me, Chaton..."

"I know, you mean a lot to me too, M'lady... that's why I kinda panicked when you said we missed out on a pound it. It felt like... nevermind, it's stupid..."

"No, kitty, whatever it is, it's not stupid!" Ladybug said, turning her head so she could see his glimmering eyes.


	10. Breakdown

Ladybug's eyes widened and she stared at him for a moment, as his eyes dampened more. She froze; he had never broken down around her, she had always been the one to break down... because... because... he was the strong one, right?

Or...

Or maybe he had just been bottling it all up, like she's guessed a few moments earlier.

Bottling up the self doubt and the anxiety and heartbreak and fear...

While she had her friends who she could talk to about a lot of things, and Tikki, and Chat, who was always willing to listen to her vent or rant about something...

He'd insisted that it was fine and he didn't mind, but he'd never done the same.

Maybe he had other friend who could help support him?

Surely someone as outgoing and as flirty as him, had loads of friends, right?

Unless...

Unless he didn't, and he was so desperate for her because of that.

And she'd been turning him down time and time again, when she may have been one of the only people he had...

Ladybug didn't want to think about how much more that would have hurt him, and he never complained, or vocally said how much he might have been hurting.

Ladybug leaned forward and took him into an affectionate hug, rubbing his back as his breaths came in and out rather shakily.

She ran her fingers through his hair as he sniffed, burying his face in her shoulder.

He lowered his head, gasping in air as he opened his eyes, seeing a few droplets on Ladybug's leg. He shut his eyes tighter.

"I- I'm s-sorry- I- I d-didn't mean to cry-" Chat Noir muttered.

"It's fine, it's good to cry, Chaton, just let it all out..." she whispered to him, feeling him hug her tighter.

She paused, unsure of what to do next. She decided to go with her gut.

"What happened, that made you so upset?" She asked, ready to assure that it was fine whether he wanted to say or not.

He took a few breaths in.

"We were talking about the fist bump that we do. You said we hadn't done it once before and I- I think I sort of freaked out..."

Ladybug nodded, nuzzling his cheek to assure him that she wouldn't judge him or anything like that.

"Our- our pound it is like one of those things that was always there, you know... something that just we shared... with the other heroes too... when you said that we might not have done it..." he continued, his voice cracking at the end.

"I- I'm sorry. I told you it was stupid..." he muttered, clinging to her harder, as if he was afraid she would pull away and leave him.

"No, Chat, that was _not_ stupid." Ladybug said firmly. "I just didn't realise that our little fist bump... meant so much to you..."

Chat Noir nodded, and lifted his head slighlt, causing his tears to wipe onto Ladybug's shoulder.

"It... helped, you know? Like when- when you said you didnt love me- and you- you loved someone else... our fist bump was always there. Like when my Fa- when I wasn't allowed to go out with friends... you were always there for me..." Chat Noir whispered, his voice high pitched and rough.

He didn't realise he had started crying again until Ladybug gently wiped the tears away.


	11. Comfort

"And I'm always going to be here for you, Chaton, you know that..." Ladybug said softly to him.

He nodded, whispering to her. "I'm always going to be here for you, too."

"Always, kitty," Ladybug whispered back, bringing her thumb up to his face to wipe away the newly formed tears in his eyes.

She brought him close again, his forehead resting on his shoulder.

"I know I've said this before, Ladybug, but... I love you... even if you don't love me back, I- I'll still love you, with all of my heart..." he whispered softly, sure she was just going to gently turn him down.

"I know you do, Chat. And I know I've said this before, but we can't... at least, not now. Soon." Ladybug whispered back.

"Do you really, like, _really_ think that?"

"Yes, Chat, I do."

There was a few moments of silence before he responded.

"Thank you, Ladybug..."

"Anything for you, kitty,"

"That sounds like something I would say to you, but, without the 'kitty' part..."

"Who knows, maybe you're growing on me." Ladybug said, shrugging as she looked away.

"Like meow-oss- wait, no, that didn't work at all..."

Ladybug snorted. "No, Chaton, that did not work. That might just be the worst pun you've ever said to me."

"Yeah, because all of my other puns are mew-velous! Just like me and you!" Chaf grinned up at Ladybug.

"I wouldn't say that... I would say... accepta-bug-le."

"Did you just-"

Ladybug froze.

"I did not-"

"You _punned_! Ladybug punned!"

"It was an accident..." Ladybug murmured.

Chat rolled his eyes. "Then I could say that this was an accident-"

He leaned towards her and kissed her forehead unintentionally. He had completely expected that she would move away, but she didn't.

"Did you just-"

"Oh, heck- I- I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-" Chat Noir stammered.

"Shh, calm down, I- it's fine, Chat, it's fine." Ladybug sighed.

"What? So I c-can... kiss you?" Chat asked, confused.

"I- uh- well- no... but, don't worry about what just happened..." Ladybug said quickly, looking at her hands rather than Chat's eyes.

He looked down, to spare them both the embarrassment.

Ladybug seemed to think that he would break down again, so she wrapped her arms around him, bringing his head to her shoulder again.


	12. Falling

Ladybug couldn't lie to herself.

Well, she could, but she couldn't lie to herself about something this big.

She had to admit that, while she pretended she didn't, she did feel something when Chat kissed her forehead.

But, that was just the awkwardness, right?

It's not like she was starting to develop feelings for Chat Noir, and she definitely wasn't _falling in love_ with him...

Right?

She was in love with Adrien... and his kindness... his selflessness... his sweetness...

Her mind drifted off to all of Adrien's qualities, and she frowned, realising that Chat and Adrien shared many qualities.

But, of course, that was just a coincidence. Ladybug had seen Chat Noir and Adrien together, so there was no way they were the same person.

So... could she have feelings for two different guys?

No! What was she thinking? She was supposed to love Adrien, even if he didn't see her that way. Chat Noir, on the other hand, did have feelings for her, and hasn't tried to hide it one bit. Ever since he had started to put a blush on her cheeks, she had been thinking about her feelings. Obviously, she felt something, but _was that love_?

She could imagine Tikki's giggle now.

_"Oh, Marinette, just tell him you've got feelings for him!"_

_"But I haven't got any feelings for Chat Noir! He's just a friend!" Ladybug's mind protested to the imaginary Tikki._

_"Would a_ friend _make you blush all the time, or smile that lovesick expression you only used to give to Adrien?" Tikki asked._

_"Maybe..."_

_"Would you hold a present your friend gave you as you slept?" Tikki asked, referring to the rose Marinette had held in her hands as she went to sleep a few nights prior._

_"Possibly..."_

_"Marinette, everyone can she how much you two love each other, just tell him!"_

_"No! He'd probably hate me or something because I've kept it from him for so long..."_

_"Really? Chat Noir would hate you for you being able to give him something he's been yearning for for so long?"_

A small ruffle brought Ladybug back to reality. She looked to Chat Noir, who was shifting his leg to make him more comfortable, as well as her. There's no way he would hate her, right?

Seeing as he was here right now, in her arms, she might as well ask.

She scratched him behind the cat ear, kick-starting his purr. He melted into her arms, a smile spreading on his face as his tail wiggled happily. He never punned or joked when he was like this (well, he did, but rarely), so he wouldn't lie to her to spare her feelings.

"Hey, kitty," Ladybug whispered into his ear.

"M'lady?"

"Yep, that's me... can I ask you something?"

"Anything..."

"Would you... ever get... angry with me?" Ladybug asked nervously, bringing her free hand to her face as if it would protect her from his response.

Chat shifted his head to a different angle so that she was scratching in another spot, as well as letting her see how much he was enjoying this; the pure bliss was shamelessly written all over his drowsy face.

"I couldn't never be angry with you... M'lady..."

"What if I- what if I kept something from you?"

Chat whined, attempting to hide the hurt on his features. "You- you're the guardian... I would... understand..."

"No, not something miraculous related, something... like... how I felt about you..."

Chat's nose scrunched up in confusion, his closed eyes opening. "Are you- are you angry with me?"

Ladybug was quick to reassure him.

"No, no, of course not... so you wouldn't be angry with me?"

"No, I'd be happy you choosed- no... choosen-"

"Chose?" Ladybug gave him the word he was looking for. She knew he was too focused on the scratching to be able to find the right word.

"Oh... yeah... I'd be happy you chose to tell me..." Chat Noir said, closing his eyes again and resting his head on her chest.

"O-okay, kitty, that's all I wanted to know."

She brought him closer to her and rested her head on her shoulder

She may not have known she was falling in love with him, or that she already had, but she sure did know that she was falling asleep.


	13. Cuddles

Chat Noir opened his eyes again when he felt the scratching slow down, and then stop. He looked behind him, expecting to see Ladybug with a smirk on her face, rather than Ladybug with her eyes closed.

He turned over fully and nudged her head ever so slightly, to see if she was really asleep. She was, and Chat smiled softly at her calm sleeping face. He rolled them over so that she was resting on him, rather then the other way round.

Nuzzling her cheek, he subconsciously fiddled with her hair, getting lost in the softness of it.

"Chat? What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes fluttering open.

"Oh, I was- nothing..."

She raised her eyebrows, clearly not believing him. She didn't say anything, and instead sat up a little, resting her head on his shoulder, her flushed cheek almost touching his.

"You can sleep, you know, kitty. Being such a super hero doesn't allow too much time for sleep..." Ladybug said quietly.

Chat Noir hummed in agreement. "Especially with school and... other stuff."

Ladybug nodded, dreading the test that she would be having in a few days for school. The two sat in silence, simply enjoying the other's company. Chat slowly wrapped his arms around Ladybug's waist and lay his hands on her stomach, bringing her even closer to him.

"Is this supposed to be some sort of hug, Chat?"

"Purr-haps... and maybe you would like a kiss to go with it?" Chat asked, puckering his lips as he leaned in closer with his eyes closed.

"Nah, this hug is fine- ahh!" Ladybug squealed, hands on her side as she stood up. "You did _not_ just tickle me!"

Chat grinned shamelessly. "I may have. Who's to say?"

"Welp, I know one cat who isn't going to be getting any more hugs." Ladybug said, crossing her arms and looking in the opposite direction.

"No! Ladybug! I'm sorry! It won't happen again!" Chat protested, his arms reaching to her before she playfully swatted them away.

"How can I be _sure_ that it won't happen again?" Ladybug asked.

"Because you've gotta trust me, M'lady!"

Ladybug shook her head.

"Please?" Chat Noir asked, standing behind her, ready to wrap his arms round her, when she suddenly turned around and tackled him.

She waved her fingers in front of his face and then moved them to his side, wiggling them aggressively as she watched his wriggle beneath her.

"N-no! Stop! P-please! I- I'll be good! I w-won't t-tickle you- you eve-ahh! Ever again!" Chat Noir stuttered through his laughing and kicking.

She took her fingers away as she processed his words, and let him catch back his breath as she sat beside him, the shameless grin on her face rather than his.

"That means that you won't tickle me either... right?" Chat asked hesitantly.

"If you won't tickle me either? Yeah, I think we can work with that..." Ladybug replied.

Chat sighed in relief. He wrapped her arms around her just as he had planned to do earlier, and felt her hug him back.

"And I can still hug you?"

"Seeing as you already are, the answer is yes." Ladybug said, her fingers running through his hair softly.


	14. Chat Blanc

"Hey, Ladybug, look who I found!" Chat Noir called out to her happily.

"Who did you find, kitty?" Ladybug sighed.

"I found a cat! He's like me, but from a parallel universe of something. All he needs is a ladybug by his side, and boom! Best life ever!"

Chat Noir walked around the corner, eager to show Ladybug 'Chat Blanc', as he called the cat.

He really didn't expect her to yelp and stare at the cat curled up in his arms.

"No need to be scared, M'lady! Chat Blanc doesn't bite... he does shed, though..." Chat Noir said, frowning at the trail of white fur behind him.

He stepped closer, about to pass the white cat to Ladybug, when she stepped back, her hands held out.

"No, you keep... him... Chat. I'm sure he likes you more than me..." Ladybug lied.

"I'm sure he would love you! Who wouldn't love you, Ladybug?" Chat asked, looking at the cat as he held out his white paws to Ladybug. "See! He does like you!"

Ladybug kept her eyes on the cat's as Chat Noir gently lay the cat in her arms. She looked at it, the turmoil of emotions within her invisible to Chat. She ran her hand along the cat's white fur, comforting him in a way she had wished she was able to comfort Chat Blanc.

"It's not your fault, kitty," Ladybug whispered to the cat, completely forgetting about Chat in front of her.

"What's not my fault?" Chat asked, completely confused.

"Nothing... I wasn't talking to you, Chat."

Chat Noir looked to the cat and Ladybug, trying to ignore the jealousy pounding in his heart as Ladybug brought the cat close to her heart and nuzzled his head, whispering almost inaudible words of comfort. Did he really just give himself _another_ competitor for Ladybug's heart, as well as the guy she liked.

"Is there something going on here that I don't know about?" Chat Noir asked, surprised his voice didn't crack with jealousy.

Ladybug looked up to him and shook her head, recognition lighting up in her eyes.

"You're not jealous, are you?"

"What? Me? No way!" Chat Noir replied, flicking his wrist as if it would make his emotions go away.

She gave him and obvious look of disbelief, then crouched down to allow the white cat to run away.

"No! Chat Blanc! Come back!" Chat Noir called, despite the fact that he really didn't want the cat to return.

"You were jealous, weren't you, kitty?"

Chat Noir shook his head. "I'm Chat Noir!"

"Yes, I know."

"Like, why would I be jealous of a cat?"

"I don't know, why would you be?"

Chat Noir looked at her, not wanting to give an answer. Ladybug didn't need an answer, though. She brought him into a hug, her arms rubbing his back.

"You don't need to be jealous, you're my favourite kitty, and you know it."

Chat Noir nodded.

Ladybug hesitated before she spoke again.

"Black suits you, Chaton. Don't ever change that."

"I won't, M'lady..."


	15. In Sync

They leapt off the building, the perfect harmony between them silent but making no attempt to conceal itself. They landed on two separate rooftops, then broke into a sprint in the same direction.

Ladybug cast the cat a sly glance as she picked up the pace and ran forward, while he followed close behind, baton twirling between his fingers as he prepared to vault over to the next roof. Ladybug glanced to the other side, where the angelic face of Adrien Agreste greeted her, appearing as flawless as ever.

She stumbled ever so slightly, but any type of stumbling is not good to do on the end of a roof three storeys in the air.

Chat Noir's eyes widened, and he spun midway through his vault, wrapping himself against Ladybug as she threw her yoyo out in an attempt to stop them both from plummeting to the road. She missed, but all the yoyo needed was a little push, and that's what it got, from a metal baton held by the one so close to her.

They landed on the next roof and (unhappily) broke apart. Ladybug's grateful eyes met Chat's excited eyes, and the emotions swirled between them without words, as no words were needed when they were this close.


	16. First Kiss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, these aeroplanes are _loud_.

Ladybug felt bad.

She knew Chat Noir had wanted a kiss from her for so long, and the one time she had given it to him, he couldn't remember.

Well, other than that whole Oblivio thing, where neither of them could remember, but Ladybug had convinced herself that she had been drunk or something. Unless some magical thing had happened, causing her to forget all about Adrien... oh, wait.

Ladybug shook her head a little, hoping to shake the thought away too.

"You okay, M'lady?"

"Yeah, just thinking..."

"About what, we're partners, remember, we can talk to each other about stuff, like you said."

He rolled onto his back, his head resting on her thigh as he looked up at her.

Ladybug sighed.

"You don't remember our first kiss, do you?"

Chat shook his head, remembering when Alya had showed them a photo of them kissing after defeating Oblivio. "But I'm sure it was epic, we looked like we were enjoying it a bunch."

"I wouldn't say you were enjoying it, seeing as you called me a... what was it? A savage! That's it!"

"Me? Call you a savage? I would never!"

"Well, ya did. Even though that was the magic in you speaking, rather than _you_ you..."

Chat nodded slowly, then his eyes snapped to her in confusion.

"You can remember?"

"Of course I can, I wasn't hit by Dark Cupid's arrows, remember?" Ladybug snickered. "Oh wait, you don't remember!"

"What's Dark Cupid got to do with this?"

Ladybug frowned. "We kissed when he was akumatised."

"What? Oh..."

"What do you mean 'oh...'?"

"I meant I was thinking about when we kissed after taking Oblivio down. Not about when we kissed around the time of Dark Cupid..."

He brought his hands to his face and groaned.

"I can't remember _any_ of the times we kissed... but you remember one." Chat shifted, looking up at her eagerly. "Was it good, though? Was I happy? Were you happy? Did you- did you _want_ to kiss me?"

He had visibly shrunken down with the fear that she had kissed him when she didn't want to.

"Well, I wouldn't say I _wanted_ to... but yeah, it was an okay-ish kiss. I guess..."

Chat groaned again, flopping down dramatically over her lap.

"Not only can I not remember my first kisses with you, they weren't even _good_ kisses!"

"I- I wouldn't say that, kitty... I mean... they weren't _bad_ kisses... but they weren't like, you know, one of those super-epic-legendary first kisses you see in Romances..."

"Imagine if this was a Romance, and you were that type of person who was in denial, then thoroughly accepts me as your one true love, and then we run away to a desert island, and live on nothing but fruit! We'll have a little pet hamster and we'll name it-"

"You've certainly put a lot of thought into this, Chat."

He nodded happily, completely immersing himself in his fantasy.

Ladybug was immersing herself in her own thoughts too. He deserved to know what it felt like to kiss, right?

Ladybug raised her eyebrows, thinking _yes, he did_.

She leaned over to him, and shut her eyes as she pressed her lips to his, then pulled away when he kissed her back, letting the sparks that had flown between then land on their fluttering hearts.

Eyes wide with shock and an immeasurable amount of love, he asked her a few moments later. "What was that for?"

"I thought- I thought you should know how it felt... you know..." Ladybug said, blushing almost as much as he was.

"Oh... yeah... okay... thanks, B-Bugaboo..." he said dreamily.

"So... how did it... feel?" Ladybug asked, curious to see if he felt the same internal explosion she had.

"Like one of those super-epic-legendary kisses you were talking about..."

Ladybug no longer felt bad.

In fact, she felt pretty good.


	17. Future

"So what are your plans for the future, kitty?" Ladybug asked, casting him a glance.

He raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you said we couldn't talk about stuff like this, like, stuff that could reveal our identities..." he let his words trail off.

"I know, I know..." Ladybug sighed, not failing to hear the slight twinge of hurt in his voice. "You've always been eager to get to know me, and while I'm also eager to get to know you, I haven't really... shown it."

Ladybug knew she was hiding the real reason she hadn't been too eager to ask him about himself.

She was scared, and she knew it. Scared of finding something out about him, that made her fall even more in... love... with him.

Scared that she was already falling too fast... she didn't think her heart could gale falling for him any harder.

She looked back at him.

"So, what are your plans? Don't include any personal details, of course..."

Chat Noir nodded and looked away, not wanting to meet her eyes.

"I don't really have that much control over my life as a civilian... but, since I have this," he gestured to his ring, "I know it'll at least be with you..."

He turned and gave her a half hearted smile, while she didn't return it.

"What do you mean? You do have a choice in what you do with your life, Chat."

"Not really, in my civilian life, that is... that's why being Chat Noir is so fun!"

Ladybug nodded, understanding what he was saying.

"So what about you?"

"What about me?"

"What are you going to do, other than being Ladybug?"

"Well, I was hoping that I'd be able to get into the fashion industry... I've already got some opportunities, and I'm making the most of them," she replied optimistically.

"Fashion? Interesting..."

Ladybug narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"And that's interesting because..."

"Because, I'm probably going to be going into that industry too!" Chat grinned. "Maybe we'll meet each other as civilians!"

"Maybe we will, but even if we don't, I've still got you here, kitty cat..."

Chat Noir felt a tiny blush creep up on his face, and looked down to Paris. He could literally feel Ladybug's smirk beside him.


	18. Close Call

The reporters crowded closer to the duo, leaving only a little space between them, and forcing Chat Noir and Ladybug to squish together to give them both more space.

The press was excited - it was rare that they got an opportunity like this, where both heroes hadn't yet run away and seemingly vanished. They pushed their cameras closer, moving slightly to get a good shot.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had been out just for fun, when their time was interrupted by a sentimonster. The battle was quickly over, but both heroes only had a little bit of time left.

They tried to escape the crowd, wearing smiling masks, but the wall of people didn't move. Chat Noir covered his ears, the loud chatter of the public and the sharp questions asked doing him no favours. Ladybug was quickly agitated too, especially when their miraculouses beeped, signalling that they only had three minutes left.

Ladybug looked up and took her yoyo off her waist, then started spinning it in an awkward angle, so that it didn't hit anyone. She hooked her other arm around Chat, who was still struggling to deal with the loudness. She pulled them both away, and used one of her arms to swing them both away on her yoyo.

Landing on a roof, she saw Chat Noir's cat ears flap happily, free of the loud sounds. He looked down to his ring, seeing one pad left only. He frowned, hoping they would have been able to spend some more time together.

"We can meet up some other time, right?" Chat Noir asked.

"Of course we can..." she paused before continuing hesitantly. "I'd actually like to show you something, soon... can we do that?"

A grin grew on his face.

"Does my lady want to take me out on a date?" He leaned close to her.

Ladybug's eyes widened, and she felt her exposed face become warm.

"It's not a date, just a friendly meet up, you know..." she huffed slightly.

"Okay, let's pretend I buy that. When would this friendly meet up be?"

"I haven't picked a date or place yet, but... would you be free at night? Like, any night?"

"For you? I'm always free," he winked at her, making note of the red on her cheeks.

"I think your miraculous disagrees," Ladybug smirked, taking her yoyo off her waist. "Thanks though, that's all I wanted to know!"

She was about to swing away, when a bird swept past her face, her gasp of surprise mixing with the chirping of the bird.

"My my, what a close call!" Chat laughed from behind her, the little jump Ladybug had done replaying over and over in his mind.

"What? How was that a close ca- oh..."

Ladybug pursed her lips, but the cat's laugh was contagious, and she ended up laughing along with him.

Until, of course, they detransformed.

Both of them shut their eyes tight, snickers coming out of Plagg and Adrien, as Marinette and Adrien fished through their pockets with their eyes closed.

They transformed again, and Ladybug opened her eyes to see Chat Noir holding in a laugh, which was never really a surprise to her.

"My my, m'lady-"

"Don't you say it-"

"-what a-"

"I will tickle you. I will tickle you until you can't breathe-"

Chat Noir narrowed his eyes again, but decided it was worth the risk.

"-miraculous close call that was-"

Ladybug tackled him to the ground, and fulfilled her threat.


	19. Rain

"I thought cats were afraid of water," Ladybug said.

"Afraid? No, we just... have a little disliking of the rain, that's all..." he replied, sitting closer to her, the left half of his hair damp.

"A little disliking?"

Chat nodded, tiny droplets of water splashing around. Ladybug held her hand up to shield her face, before lowering her arm again. She looked at his slightly shivering body, and put an arm around him, drawing him closer to her.

"M-M'lady?" Chat Noir asked.

"I thought you were cold, so I wanted to warm you up," Ladybug said.

"You don't need to do that! I'm not cold!" Chat replied.

"If you weren't cold, why were you snuggling closer to me?"

"I wasn't..."

"Well, if you weren't cold, I think I'll take my arm back, thanks," Ladybug retracted his hand, smirking when his mouth shifted into a comical 'O', clearly regretting opening his mouth.

He looked away, fiddling with his fingers, before speaking up again.

"Ladybug?"

"Yes, kitty?"

"I- I- uh..."

"Come on, use your words..." Ladybug urged him on.

"I'm cold."


	20. Deja Vu

Her cheeks reddened softly as she made herself smaller, helpless to the rush of warm emotions within her. She tried to smile, but was too caught up in his to smile herself. She felt her heart flip several times, and she caught herself wondering what was happening to her...

Then she realised, that she was falling in love.

That had happened with Adrien, who was the love of her life, right?

But with Chat Noir...

Her cheeks reddened softly as she made herself smaller, helpless to the rush of warm emotions within her. She tried to smile, but was too caught up in his to smile herself. She felt her heart flip several times, and she caught herself wondering what was happening to her...

Then she realised, that she was falling in love...

Again...

But this time, with Chat Noir.


	21. Reveal

Ladybug ran through the hall and opened the doors leading into the main studio. Chat Noir had run off a few minutes ago to recharge his miraculous, and Ladybug was starting to get worried that the akuma had done something to him. She looked around, not knowing what the akuma may have turned him into, and realised the room was empty.

Turning to leave, she spotted Mr Banana across the hall.

Well, the akuma was able to shapeshift... but Ladybug didn't see the appeal of the Mr Banana. Other than the fact that it was a banana, of course.

She ran after it, seeing the enlarged banana turn tail and run away from her. She threw her yoyo around his waist and saw Mr Banana fall to the ground, and she leapt on top of him, unzipping the suit.

She heard a startled cry of "Claws Out!", and then a flash of green light just before she managed to unmask him. She pulled the fabric away from his face, to ensure that he was indeed Chat Noir, before standing up again and helping him up.

"So, you're Mr Banana? When did you plan on telling me?"

"It was a secret identity M'lady. I have many, and it would be a real shame to be banned from being Mr Banana." Chat Noir replied, brushing non-existent dust off of himself. "Can you keep my secret?"

"You're not the only one with a secret identity, Banana Noir."

"Hmmm, I can see that..." He picked up her hand, placing a soft kiss on the back of it.

He looked back up, having expected to see her pull her hand away or push his face back, but he instead saw her smiling softly at him. He raised an eyebrow, and decided to test his luck.

He raised his head with agonising slowness, and leaned forward, his lips puckered. He closed his eyes, waiting for her to meet his lips with her own, or at least to say something.

Instead, he did feel something on his lips. His heart did somersaults in his chest and he made to give his lady the best kiss ever, since she had given him a chance.

Her lips were soft - just as he had imagined.

Her lips were also- fabric-y? Definately not as he had imagined.

But he still pushed through, eager to seize this opportunity. Feeling something on his hair (which he assumed were Ladybug's hands), he wrapped his arms around her.

She felt surprisingly 2D and thin, but Chat Noir didn't care.

Until he felt someone tap his shoulder.

He turned around, not knowing what to expect, then saw Ladybug behind him with her cheeks blown out, unable to contain her laughter for so long. He turned to see what he had been kissing so passionately, and found the banana suit he had been wearing earlier.

"You and that banana have some pretty good chemistry, kitty," Ladybug teased, grabbing his arm to lead him away.

"You say it like you wouldn't be jealous..."


	22. Realization

His eyes were like the moon, she realised.

Not because of the shape or colour or anything like that.

But because of the sides.

For the moon, there's one side that's always shown, the light side, and you can never see beyond it to see the dark side.

It was the same with his eyes, or at least Chat Noir in general.

There was his happy, light side, which was always shown. And you could never see beyond that, to see the darkness in him.

Unless you knew him, and Ladybug did.

Of course, everyone had their darkness. But you could often see their darkness once in a while, but with Chat Noir...

If you didn't know him personally, you wouldn't even know he had his own darkness.

Being a superhero might be a cause, but Ladybug could tell that there was something... more. Something more personal.

Something she would help him through, even if he was hesistant to ask for help.


	23. Chin Scratches

Chat Noir landed on the roof having found Ladybug on the other side, humming quietly to herself.

He crept closer, making sure to step as quietly as he could. With his miraculous, his footsteps were practically inaudible, allowing him to get very close to her. He crouched down to the side of her, preparing himself to pounce.

Counting down from three, he pounced and fell on top of her, meeting her shocked face, which she quickly attempted to hide.

"I've got you this time, M'lady!" He purred, wrapping his arms around her protectively.

"Maybe I let you get caught, and it's all part of my master plan to-"

"Capture my miraculous! How could you, Bugaboo? After all we've been through together..."

"After all those puns... I'm surprised I haven't tried to wish puns out of existence yet."

"You wouldn't!"

"Try me, kitty cat." Ladybug said, rolling over and pushing his face away, so that they were lying beside each other. "You remember what happened last time when you didn't believe I would do something, right?"

"How could I forget any moment with you, M'lady?" Chat asked, his hand over his pulsing heart.

"You know what I meant."

He nodded in agreement. "I don't think I'll be forgetting that any time soon. It took ages to cat-ch my breath again..."

Ladybug giggled a particularly suspicious giggle.

"Perhaps you'd like to relive it, for superhero reasons, of course."

Chat Noir shook his head, a shiver running through him at the mere thought of being tickled again.

"Nope, and it would be especially cruel of you to torture me like that again, since you know where I am... most sensitive..."

Ladybug's eyes lit up with excitement.

"You're right! I completely forgot about that!" Ladybug brought her hand to her chin, making a show of thinking and stroking her non-existent beard. "I wonder where they were... you could help a lady out and remind her, couldn't you?"

"Nu-uh. I'm just gonna nope my way out of this. Thanks." He said, turning towards her and holding his hands between them.

"That's fine. I seem to remember myself now. You were ticklish here," she brought her hand slowly to the side of his ribs, barely touching him. He still squirmed away, though, and Ladybug grinned, a sadistic side of her awakening again. She wiggled her fingers slightly, catching his wrists with her other hand as he tried to move them.

Picking up the pace, she tickled him quicker, feeling him squirm more and more. His breath hitched as she brought her fingers up his neck, then gently scratched his chin.

"I'm still very proud of you, taking down that akuma by yourself," she said.

His face relaxed slightly, and he hoped Ladybug would continue with her chin scratches, which he knew she knew he loved. He melted into her touch and his eyes closed slightly as he savoured her affectionate touches, noticing out of the corner of his eye that she savoured it too.


	24. Post-Reveal Pre-Relationship

They'd run into each other's arms and hug, Ladybug was sure. They'd hug and hug and not want to let go, but they wouldn't need to let go because they knew who the other was.

They wouldn't need to hide their identities. That was obvious, but it felt important to Ladybug. To her, and to Chat Noir too, it meant that there would be no more secrets between them, so they would be able to knock that damn wall down.

Ladybug had been wondering to herself about who he was beneath the mask. He would still be her Chaton, no matter who he was, but she had a weird feeling that she knew him, without the mask. Chat knew her beneath the mask, Ladybug knew that, and she thought that her and Chat's future relationship would be a lot like that.

Two people who just understand each other, and are willing to do anything for the other.

Just as they are now, Ladybug realised. They weren't in an official relationship, and she had no idea when they would be, but she was sure that the love that flowed between them would be more than enough.


	25. Pining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my brain broke for this one guys sorry i know its already been done like a thousand times

"Chat Noir!"

Chat Noir turned to where he heard the voice come from, and waved his hand to the approaching reporter.

"Chat Noir," the reporter repeated. "How do you feel about what people are saying about you?"

"I- uh... what?" Chat Noir stammered, awkwardly chuckling as he looked around nervously. "What are people saying?"

The reported raised his eyebrows at the fact that Chat seemingly had no idea what he was talking about.

"The... theories, as the people are calling them. The idea that you're Ladybug's sidekick?"

Chat Noir froze, his heart dropping.

"No- I- we're partne-"

The reporter was quick to continue.

"Of course, I said ideas and theories. I would like to know what you think about it, though."

"I think... that we're partners?" his shakey voice rose higher in pitch, making the watching reporter raise an eyebrow.  
"You don't seem too confident about that, Chat Noir."

"You- you're pretty good at stating the obvious..." Chat Noir forced out in a painful attempt to joke, along with a very fairly convincing laugh.

Everyone knew it was fake, though. More reporters started to crowd around him, eager to grab a scoop.

...

Ladybug swung through Paris, taking in how the soft breeze gently caressed her skin, listening to the quiet chatter of happy Parisians below.

She grinned when she spotted Chat Noir with a crowd around him - happy to see people giving him the attention he deserved. She landed nearby, careful to keep out of sight so that she didn't take any attention off of Chat. Leaning forward, she listened in to what people were saying, ready to feel her heart burst with joy as she was sure her partner's heart was.

Her heart fell instead, and an almost painful ache set in in her lower gut as she heard people call Chat Noir her 'sidekick'. She visibly scoffed, and felt her cheeks go red with rage.

Ignoring the cheers of delight she attracted from the general public, she marched to where Chat was, and cleared her voice, feeling all the eyes (including a pair of green eyes, which had been looking shamefully at the ground) turn to her.

"Let's get something straight here, people."

Her sharp voice cut through the crowd, and people knew she meant business.

Chat's heart didn't think it could have throbbed anymore, but it was a welcome surprise.


	26. Sacrifices

The Overthrower aimed her weapon at the civilians and pulled on the trigger, gritting her teeth in anger when a yoyo directed her gun upwards, causing the magic beams to miss their targets by mere millimetres.

She re-angled her blaster and pointed it to Ladybug, seeing her swing away to greet her partner.

"Welcome to the party." Ladybug said, almost out of breath. "We have the Overthrower over there. Sabrina Raincomprix, I think she was akumatised because Chloe did something."

"Wouldn't really be the first time," Chat Noir muttered as he spun his baton in front of them, deflecting several beams that had come their way.

"No, it wouldn't, but I'm hoping it'll be the last. I want to have a word with Chloe..." Ladybug replied before jumping away, and running closer to the akuma.

She threw her yoyo at the Overthrower, who blocked it with ease, and sent it flying back to the duo.

She caught it and started to spin it to create a shield as the Overthrower readied her weapon, aiming at her. Chat Noir dodged with his baton, and Ladybug stopped her spinning yoyo to use it to propel herself forward. The Overthrower took aim once again, and took advantage of the fact that Chat Noir was distracted with protecting Ladybug.

Several beams were shot his way, but he wasn't able to dodge them all. Ladybug panicked and leapt in front of him without a second thought.

Chat cried as she got hit rather than him, and threw his arms around her, as if it would stop the Overthrower from taking control of her body. Ladybug stood up straight, and with her super strength, she picked Chat up and threw him in the direction of the Overthrower.

He landed on his feet and took his baton, engaging in a duel. He, with years worth of fencing skills, won with ease, and managed to pry the akuma's weapon from its grasp. He snapped it on his knee, but no akuma came out.

Chat Noir looked at the akuma again, and spotted a pair of glasses on the Overthrower's face, and he also spotted Ladybug coming at him, violently throwing her yoyo in his direction. He jumped away and landed on the Overthrower's head, gripping hard to make sure that didn't fall off with the akuma's shaking.

He grabbed the glasses and broke them in his palm. He grinned as the akuma flew out, then readied his hand to cataclysm it.

Calling upon his power, he destroyed the akuma, then looked to Ladybug, who was standing completely still. The other people who had been hit by one of the beams were doing the same.

He frowned, then grinned again as a plan formed in his mind.

He lead Ladybug to an alley, and took her miraculous off, shutting his eyes tight to make sure he didn't see the girl beneath tje mask.

"Chat Noir? What's going on?" Tikki asked, panic in her voice.

"I'm swapping our miraculouses, so that I can do the lucky charm and stuff myself." Chat explained, detransforming so that je could put on Ladybug's earrings. He transformed into Mister Bug, the deactivated Black Cat miraculous turning red and black on his finger.

He called upon the lucky charm, throwing it into the air mere seconds later, reversing the damage of the Overthrower.

"Chat Noir? What happened? Where's my mira-"

"It's fine, I've got it, Bugaboo!"

"You took my miraculous without asking!"

"I didn't have much choice, and I didn't see your identity, so..." he let his words trail off.

"Wait wait wait, you took the Overthrower down, all by yourself?"

"Yep, proud of me, m'lady?"

He closed his eyes and turned around in the direction he assumed she was in, then felt her attack him with a hug.


	27. Embrace

Mister Bug stumbled slightly before smiling and hugging her back.

"What's this for, eh, Bugaboo?" He asked, nuzzling her cheek with his own.

"I'm proud of you, that's why!" Her smile shone through her voice.

"For... what?"

"For taking down the Overthrower all by yourself! I wasn't able to by myself, but you were able to!"

"Well, that is my job, m'lady..."

"It is, and you did it brilliantly... don't let that get into your head though, I'm still the leader," she said, firmly.

"Yeah, you are." He paused for a moment, pursing his lips, wondering if he should say what was on his mind or not. "You took that hit for m-"

She pulled back, their faces close together.

"I know what you're going to say, so I'm not gonna let you finish that sentence. Yes, I did take that hit for you, and I don't regret it one bit."

"But-"

"Nope. And you can't throw that whole 'but you're the only one who can de-evilise akumas and amoks and reverse the damage' because guess what, kitty. You proved you can do it yourself."

He smiled, nuzzling her again, the red flowing off his masks onto his cheeks shielded by the darkness of the alley.

"I still need you though..."

"And I need you too, Chaton."

He scrunched his nose slightly, then looked at the ring on his finger, which was in camouflage mode.

"I'm not really your chaton at the moment, though..."


	28. Confession

Chat Noir followed the Ladybug symbol on his baton just as she had told him to do via the messages on his baton. He landed and looked around, the Ladybug symbol right on top of him, but he didn't see her anywhere. But what he did see, was her yoyo.

Was this some sort of joke?

No, probably not. But then why was her yoyo just lying there?

Maybe Ladybug hadn't meant to leave her yoyo there, and something bad had happened to her?

A panic-filled flurry of emotions that Chat hadn't wanted to feel again erupted in his heart - the same emotions that had almost overwhelmed him when Ladybug had jumped into the T-rex's jaw when they had been fighting Animan.

He looked around, calling her name, his panic-stricken face barely showing half of the emotions he was feeling. He heard a few footsteps behind him and he turned, seeing the love of his life standing there.

He ran forward and wrapped his arms against her with lightning speed, thrilled that she was okay- and she had a rose in her hands?

He would get to that later.

He searched her body for any sign that she was hurt, muttering under his voice, stopping when she boopped his nose, capturing his attention entirely with that single simple motion.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. You don't need to worry." Ladybug assured him.

He nodded and let her continue, clearly sensing that she wanted to say something more.

"Anyway, you've probably noticed that I have a rose in my hands... if not, I have a rose in my hands." Ladybug said, looking up to meet his soft gaze. She swallowed before continuing. "This rose... it's for the guy I love."

She didn't fail to notice how he looked away, attempting to hiding the hurt he so obviously was feeling.

"The rose is for you," she whispered.

His head snapped up, pure love and adoration in his hopeful eyes.

"You- you love me? I thought you loved someone else..."

"He just helped me realise how important you are to me, so, yeah... I do love you, kitty cat..."

Ladybug held the rose out for him to take, and he took it with shaking hands.

"You- you love me?" he repeated.

Ladybug nodded, her eyes meeting his, passion for the other burning brightly.

He tilted her chin up slightly and brought his face right in front of her's, their lips almost touching.

"So... I can-"

Ladybug interrupted his question by leaning forward herself, their lips gently pressed together, igniting a flame with the spark that had been between them forever.


	29. Against the World

"Why'd we say that, anyway?" Chat Noir mused. "I mean, it's not like we were actually against the entire world. Just a bunch of people from Paris who were... unlucky enough to be re-akumatised."

Ladybug hummed in agreement.

"That's true, but it felt like we were against the world at the time."

"I guess you could say we were, but against our own small world rather than the whole one." Chat replied.

"We said it at the same time too, without even thinking. Kinda strange, right?"

"Not really, M'lady. It was just the world trying to tell us that we were meant for each other! As we are!"

Ladybug nodded. "I may not have realised how in sync we had been then, but I definately do now."

She carded her fingers through his hair, smiling as he subconsciously leaned into her gentle touch. She gave him an affectionate scratch behind his kitty ears, and wrapped her other arm around him.

"I'm sorry I made us miss out on so much time already, Chaton, but I promise I'll make it up."

"You already have, M'lady." Chat purred. "Just by being here with me."


	30. Rooftop Dates

"So this is what you've been doing in your spare time?" Ladybug asked, trailing her hand along the railing of the building.

Chat Noir nodded eagerly, picking up a candle and lighter, and bringing them to Ladybug.

"Would you like to do this one?" He offered as he held them out to her.

"I'd love to, Chaton."

She took them and brushed her thumbs against his hands as they made brief contact, sending both of them into a blushing fury.

She lit the candle and placed it on the railing, on the one empty space that had not yet been filled.

She stepped back and took in the candle-lit rooftop, entwining her hand with her lover's as they kissed.


	31. Home

Adrien Agreste had a home.

But, that didn't mean that it felt like home.

It was a cage, where he could look outside and see the smiling faces of those beyond the walls.

Chat Noir was his escape, and he knew that.

Barely a few minutes after escaping, he had met the lady of his dreams.

She knew who she was.

They say home is with those you love the most.

He felt at home with here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and bam im done


End file.
